Certain elements, compounds, or materials radiate unwanted or harmful components when stored. One example of this type of material is nuclear waste. Nuclear waste currently in storage comes from three principal sources: spent fuel from commercial or research reactors, liquid waste from the reprocessing of spent fuel, and waste from the nuclear weapons and propulsions industry. Most of the storage concerns relate to so-called ‘intermediate and high level’ nuclear waste components, which are highly radioactive, often requiring cooling and containment because their decay gives off heat and radiation, and have an extremely long half-life.
Long-term storage of radioactive waste is aided by the stabilization of the waste into a form which will neither react nor degrade for extended periods of time. Currently, vitrification is an accepted practice to achieve this stabilization. The vitrification process requires nuclear waste to be mixed with glass forming media (soil or zeolite, as an example), and heated to the point that the mixture melts. Once cooled, the result is that the nuclear waste is effectively entrained in glass, with reduced chances of leakage and exposure to the environment. Some vitrification methods allow the vitrification process to occur in the actual storage container, thereby minimizing waste handling and reducing contamination possibilities from processing. This type of vitrification is known as in-container vitrification, or ICV™. The containers used for this process are called ICV™ Containers.
Once processed through vitrification, the ICV™ containers are stored, either temporarily or long term. Shielding is used to mitigate potential harmful energy from the radioactive decay of certain elements. Within current shielding for ICV™ storage systems there is little room for reconfiguration and adjustability of the shielding. Additionally, with current systems more shielding is being used than is necessary which is not economical both from materials and storage capacity standpoints. The converse can be true, i.e. some stored compounds or materials need shielding from the environment around them. What is needed is an adjustable, compact, modular shielding system for short or long-term storage containers requiring shielding to prevent either the escape of the contents, particles, or rays, or prevent the ingress of particles or rays to the container.
So as to reduce the complexity and length of the Detailed Specification, Applicant(s) herein expressly incorporate(s) by reference all of the following materials identified in each paragraph below. The incorporated materials are not necessarily “prior art” and Applicant(s) expressly reserve(s) the right to swear behind any of the incorporated materials.
System for Vitrification Container with Removable Shield Panels, Ser. No. 62/342,028, filed May 26, 2016, which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety, and to which this application claims priority.
System and Method for a Robotic Manipulator Arm, Ser. No. 15/591,978 filed May 10, 2017, with a priority date of May 16, 2016, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.
Mobile Processing System, Ser. No. 14/748,535, filed Jun. 24, 2015, with a priority date of Jun. 24, 2014, which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety.
Ion Specific Media Removal from Vessel for Vitrification, Ser. No. 15/012,101 filed Feb. 1, 2016, with a priority date of Feb. 1, 2015, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.
System and Method for an Electrode Seal Assembly, Ser. No. 15/388,299 filed Dec. 22, 2016, with a priority date of Dec. 29, 2015, which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety.
Methods for Melting of Materials to be Treated, U.S. Pat. No. 7,211,038 filed Mar. 25, 2001, with a priority date of Sep. 25, 2001, which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety.
Methods for Melting of Materials to be Treated, U.S. Pat. No. 7,429,239 filed Apr. 27, 2007, with a priority date of Sep. 25, 2001, which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety.
Vitrification of Waste with Continuous Filling and Sequential Melting, U.S. Pat. No. 6,283,908 filed May 4, 2000, with a priority date of May 4, 2000, which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety.
Applicant(s) believe(s) that the material incorporated above is “non-essential” in accordance with 37 CFR 1.57, because it is referred to for purposes of indicating the background or illustrating the state of the art. However, if the Examiner believes that any of the above-incorporated material constitutes “essential material” within the meaning of 37 CFR 1.57(c)(1)-(3), applicant(s) will amend the specification to expressly recite the essential material that is incorporated by reference as allowed by the applicable rules.
Aspects and applications presented here are described below in the drawings and detailed description. Unless specifically noted, it is intended that the words and phrases in the specification and the claims be given their plain, ordinary, and accustomed meaning to those of ordinary skill in the applicable arts. The inventors are fully aware that they can be their own lexicographers if desired. The inventors expressly elect, as their own lexicographers, to use only the plain and ordinary meaning of terms in the specification and claims unless they clearly state otherwise and then further, expressly set forth the “special” definition of that term and explain how it differs from the plain and ordinary meaning. Absent such clear statements of intent to apply a “special” definition, it is the inventors' intent and desire that the simple, plain and ordinary meaning to the terms be applied to the interpretation of the specification and claims.
The inventors are also aware of the normal precepts of English grammar. Thus, if a noun, term, or phrase is intended to be further characterized, specified, or narrowed in some way, then such noun, term, or phrase will expressly include additional adjectives, descriptive terms, or other modifiers in accordance with the normal precepts of English grammar. Absent the use of such adjectives, descriptive terms, or modifiers, it is the intent that such nouns, terms, or phrases be given their plain, and ordinary English meaning to those skilled in the applicable arts as set forth above.
Further, the inventors are fully informed of the standards and application of the special provisions of 35 U.S.C. § 112, 16. Thus, the use of the words “function,” “means” or “step” in the Detailed Description or Description of the Drawings or claims is not intended to somehow indicate a desire to invoke the special provisions of 35 U.S.C. § 112, 16, to define the systems, methods, processes, and/or apparatuses disclosed herein. To the contrary, if the provisions of 35 U.S.C. § 112, 16 are sought to be invoked to define the embodiments, the claims will specifically and expressly state the exact phrases “means for” or “step for, and will also recite the word “function” (i.e., will state “means for performing the function of . . . ”), without also reciting in such phrases any structure, material or act in support of the function. Thus, even when the claims recite a “means for performing the function of . . . ” or “step for performing the function of . . . ”, if the claims also recite any structure, material or acts in support of that means or step, or that perform the recited function, then it is the clear intention of the inventors not to invoke the provisions of 35 U.S.C. § 112, 16. Moreover, even if the provisions of 35 U.S.C. § 112, 6 are invoked to define the claimed embodiments, it is intended that the embodiments not be limited only to the specific structure, material or acts that are described in the preferred embodiments, but in addition, include any and all structures, materials or acts that perform the claimed function as described in alternative embodiments or forms, or that are well known present or later-developed, equivalent structures, material or acts for performing the claimed function.
Elements and acts in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and have not necessarily been rendered according to any particular sequence or embodiment.